Moment Of Clarity: A NejixSasuke Fan Fiction
by Sasukejutsu
Summary: Finally, this story is complete. I haven't gotten around to uploading it all, but finally I am. This story is about a love that was unthinkable.
1. Chapter 1

_"No one to understand the Hyuuga. No one to relate to, until he meets Sasuke Uchiha."_

The wind was blowing ever so slightly, causing his dark brown hair to dance in the breeze. Neji Hyuuga had been training for over four hours now. His body was drained and his mind needed a rest, so he basked in the shade from the tree he was now lying under. Neji's eyelid's started closing and before he knew it, he was sound asleep.

His dream was a mixed vision of blurs and faceless people, a re-occurring dream the Hyuuga seemed to have. The woman running away from the attackers, only to be killed. The entire village, under attack; the never ending war. Yet no one seemed to have a face. This bothered Neji, because the dream would never seem to end. Not until every child was slaughtered, 'till the blood of the victims created a river of red brutality. But there was always one survivor, one faceless child crying out in agony, and Neji knew this couldn't be just a dream. It had to be someone's past, but whose?

The dream was nearing it's end, and Neji couldn't bear it any longer. He forced himself to try to wake. His eyes opened to stare into dark the eyes of the Uchiha who happened to be on him, staring at him, watching him suffer through his nightmare.

"What the-?!" Neji said in confusion, backing against the tree to escape from his newly found visitor. Sasuke just looked the Hyuuga in the eyes. His eyes seemed to be filled with sadness. It was making Neji feel guilty, and it felt as though it was drawing him in. The Uchiha lowered his gaze and stood up.

"Listen, Uchiha. Just because someone's asleep, doesn't mean you can sneak up on them. What the hell were you planning to do anyways?" Sasuke flicked his hair, and turned his head away. "I tripped over your legs and fell, idiot."

Neji stood up and brushed himself off. Sasuke's eyes drifted to Neji's hands as they gently swept across his body.

_Those hands…._


	2. Chapter 2

"Uchiha."

Sasuke froze.

"…What's up with you? You're acting strange, datte-bayo."

Sasuke stared down at his bowl of ramen. His mind was on that morning's incident all day. "Just a lot on my mind; nothing to concern you, loser."

He swirled around some noodles with a burgundy-colored chopstick, causing his reflection to ripple.

"Sasuke-kun? Do….do you want to maybe train together after?" Sakura's voice interrupted Sasuke's trance-like state.

_That voice….  
That annoying voice…_

"Hn. Like training with **you** could get me anywhere."

As soon as those words left Sasuke's mouth, Naruto slammed his fist down on the table and jumped up.

"SASUKE-TEME. WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM, DATTE-BAYO!? WHAT DID SAKURA-CHAN EVER DO TO YOU? I…"

_Absolutely nothing. Sakura's just been useless, and has done nothing. Why should I train with her. She's not worth my time._

Sasuke's thoughts drowned out Naruto's ranting, which continued on. He folded his fingers into each other, pressed them to his chin, and his eyes shifted to Naruto.

_What does he care? What I think of people shouldn't concern him._

Sasuke closed his eyes.

_What a waste of time. Why did I even bother to come and eat lunch with these losers. I should've just gone and trained like I wanted to._

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?! SASUKE!"

All of a sudden, Naruto's fist hit Sasuke's face, and they both fell to the ground. Sakura screamed and jumped up.

Sasuke grumbled and rubbed where he got punched. "Tch, loser."

"Sasuke-kun!? Are you alright!? NARUTO YOU IDIOT! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO SASUKE-KUN?!" Sakura said, staring at the two.

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "He...he was making fun of you Sakura-chan."

Sasuke stood up and put his hands in his pockets.

"Whatever." He muttered. Then, he walked out of the stand, and turned left. 


	3. Chapter 3

With every step Sasuke took, his heart beat three times. His heart was racing, and his thoughts were jumbled.

_Damn that idiot. He ruined my concentration….Why does he care so much about that wretch anyways. She's got nothing going for her. Her and her stupid flat figure, that annoying voice of hers……her lack of essential ninja skills. A good-for-nothing ninja._

Inside his pockets, Sasuke's fist clenched in anger.

_Tch, why am I wasting my time with those idiots anyways. I need to train and get stronger. Stronger so I can finally take down him……__**Itachi**__…._

Sasuke bumped shoulders with a passerby, who turned and glared at him. Drops of rain started falling from the sky, and it started to downpour, but Sasuke, who was so lost in thoughts, was oblivious to his surroundings.

_Erase the scars or banish the memories. If only that were possible._

Sasuke felt his heart throb, and he put his hand on his chest.

_Revenge is the only way to numb my pain; the only way to take away that feeling of helplessness and replace it with satisfaction. I __**must**__ kill my brother. It's the one...the only way....for me to be truly, happy. _

Water ran down his face. Sasuke wiped his eyes, and his hand fell from his chest. He sighed, stopped walking, and tilted his face up towards the sky. The raindrops hit his cheeks and rolled down his face.

_Oh the rain feels nice..._

But the feeling soon diminished, as someone held an umbrella over Sasuke.

"Hm?" Sasuke opened his eyes, lowered his head, and looked behind him.

"What the hell are you doing, Uchiha?" Neji said, staring at the wet boy in front of him.

Sasuke closed his eyes and turned his head away.

"It doesnt concern you what I'm doing."

There was a silence, and all that could be heard was the rain falling.

Sasuke felt something warm touch his hand, and he looked down to see the Hyuuga's hand on his.

"What are you-!?" Sasuke started to say. Neji placed Sasuke's hand on the staff of the umbrella. Then he let go and started walking away.

"....What the fuck, Hyuuga." Sasuke said softly, but his words were lost in the rain.

He raised the umbrella over his head and continued his walk home.


	4. Chapter 4

He walked through the door dripping in water, and leaned on the wall to pull off his shoes.

"Oh, Neji-san!"

Neji's milky lavender eyes drifted up to see Hinata standing in front of him.

"Hinata-chan…I-"

Hinata handed Neji a towel to dry his soaked hair.

"Neji-san, why don't you have an umbrella? It's raining pretty hard outside."

Neji's eyes shifted to the right.

"I…..forgot it, Hinata-chan." And with that, he handed her back the now-soaked towel, and went to his room.

As Neji's head hit his pillow, his thoughts hit his head.

_That Uchiha boy…..he's…..different._

Neji folded his hands behind his head, and stared up at the white ceiling.

_I wonder why he's always…..so arrogant…I've never seen that guy smile. Does he even have emotions?_

Neji smirked, and rolled onto his left side.

_What the hell am I talking about? Of course he's got emotions….everyone does. But….maybe….is it possible he doesn't have feelings? Like a living zombie. Hah….no…not possible. Why do I care about Sasuke anyways? Stupid Uchiha…._

Neji sighed and closed his eyes. Just thinking about that boy made his head hurt. He didn't know what his fascination with the ninja was, but he was too hungry to care.


	5. Chapter 5

"….Hanabi-chan will you please stop throwing your chopsticks at me?"

Neji was obviously unimpressed; he had his eyes closed and arms crossed to prove it.

TAK!

The chopstick bounced off Neji's head and fell onto the floor.

Hanabi giggled and reached for another chopstick.

Neji grabbed the chopsticks and moved them out of her reach.

"No fair, Neji-baka!" Hanabi pouted, crossing her arms and staring at him.

He opened his eyes and stared at his little cousin.

"Don't be so childish, Hanabi-chan."

"Says you! I have a boyfriend! You're the child! You've still never dated anyone!"

Neji unfolded his arms and his eyes drifted to the table, only to quickly meet back up with Hanabi's.

"Dating someone doesn't make you grown up, Hanabi. And I….no one interests me. Besides, I don't have time for relationships anyways. I have more important things to do, like perfecting Byakugan."

_Though….having a relationship wouldn't be so bad….._

"Neji-san….a relationship requires love…..can _you_ love…?" Hanabi said, tilting her head and staring with curiosity into Neji's eyes.

Neji smirked.

"Of course I can love. Don't be dumb, Hanabi-chan. Everyone can love."

"Oh yeah? I bet you're lying. You've never loved anyone."

Hanabi smirked back at Neji, whose smirk diminished.

"I have loved…..I…."

There was a knock on the front door.

Both Hanabi and Neji jumped up.

"I'LL GET IT!" Hanabi squealed and ran towards the hall, but Neji placed his hand on her head and stopped her from getting any further.

"You sit down and finish eating…I'll get it."

Neji headed for the door.

"Byakugan!"

Hanabi used her byakugan and looked at the door.

"It's…."


	6. Chapter 6

The door opened, and a dark-haired boy was standing outside.

"S....Sasuke-kun? What are you doing h-..."

The Uchiha held out the umbrella Neji lent him earlier.

As soon as Neji's hand grasped the staff, Sasuke turned to leave.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke stopped and turned to look at the Hyuuga.

Neji's soft eyes stared into the dark, lonely eyes of Sasuke's.

"A.....arigato....thank-you for returning my umbrella." Neji said, for those were the only words that came to mind.

Sasuke nodded in reply, and walked away.

Neji stared for a couple moments where the other ninja was standing, and then shut the door.

_What a weird guy..._

"Neji-kunnnnnnnnnnn~!"

"What is it, Hanabi-chan?" Neji said, entering the kitchen where Hanabi was sitting at the table.

"Why was that Uchiha boy here?"

"Just....returning something I lost, thats all."

Hanabi giggled and looked at her older cousin.

" I think maybe you've got the hots for him!"

Neji stared at Hanabi with shock.

"Me?! A Hyuuga, loving another guy!? That's just not possible, Hanabi. Where would you come up with such lewd thoughts!? I don't have any feelings toward that Uchiha boy, and I never will. Don't be ridiculous."


	7. Chapter 7

_Ludicrous, just ludicrous. What's Hanabi thinking?! Loving that arrogant bastard!? No way. I don't love him. I couldn't care less about him. I've never loved another man before. I never will....._

Neji had been lying in his room for 2 hours, and his mind couldn't get over what Hanabi had said to him.

_Accusing me of being gay? What's wrong with her. My heart belongs to someone normal. Someone with feelings and emotions. Someone who'll love me. Not to that cold-hearted bastard. Does he even HAVE a heart? Even if he doesn't, I don't care. I'm not desperate. Sasuke just….ugh._

Neji raised his hands to his head. He had been thinking way too hard about this. He decided that maybe sleeping will get his mind off things, so he rolled over and closed his eyes.

"Hinata-sama?" Hanabi said as she sat on the edge of Hinata's bed, kicking her feet out of boredom.

"What is it, Hanabi-chan?" Hinata said, lowering her hairbrush and turning to look at her sister.

"You know that Uchiha boy?" Hanabi said, falling back onto Hinata's bed.

"Sasuke…?"

"Yeah. Him. Is he gay or something…? Because I really thought he was coming on-…."

Hinata's burst of laugher cut Hanabi off.

"No no….he's just…..weird. I don't blame him though, with what happened to his family and all."

"His family…?"

"Well the story goes, when he was little, his…"

Neji's back slid down the wall outside Hinata's room and he sat on the floor. He chose the wrong time to get a drink, and he overheard the whole story of Sasuke's childhood.

"It's…..his. He's the faceless boy….he's the one. The one in my dream….."

Neji's sudden realization made him feel sorry for Sasuke.

"So that's why he's always lonely….he can't help it….everyone he's ever cared about got ripped away from him…."

Neji sighed, and stood up.

"Hinata-chan, I'm going out for a bit."

The door slammed shut behind him.

"Since when was Neji-kun outside my room…?"


	8. Chapter 8

A couple days had passed.

Neji was walking down the hall towards his classroom, and as he approached the door, he could hear girls crying. He slid open the door and entered the room. A lot of the girls were crying or looked sad. As he walked past a row, he could tell from the short pink hair that the girl whose head was down on her desk was Sakura.

"Tenten." Neji said, as he sat down beside his fellow teammate.

Tenten, who was always so eager to talk to him, quickly spun around to look at Neji.

"Yes, what is it Neji-kun?" She said with a shy smile.

"What's going on? Why's all the girls crying? Did Naruto do something stupid again?"

"N-no. It's because Sasuke was in the hospital! He slipped into unconsciousness last night and Lady Tsunade found him on a bench and took him to the hospital. Gosh, everyone's so worried about him! I overheard Lady Tsunade talking to a bunch of men out-front, and she said something about not wanting Sasuke to live on his own for a bit; like, have him stay with someone for a week until they're sure he'll be alright. I wonder if he'll be alright…"

_So that's it, huh? The Uchiha went and got himself in the hospital. Who the hell faints on a bench anyways. He seemed fine when I ran into him._

"Hn."

Neji's eyes drifted to Sasuke's empty seat. There were flowers scattered all over his desk.

"I don't see what the big deal is, Tenten. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Neji sighed and put his head down. This was going to be a long day.


	9. Chapter 9

During lunch, Neji sat on the window sill eating rice balls. And during class, Neji slept. He knew everything they were being taught already.

_Today was so boring. Everyone crying and being taught useless things. You'd think the teachers thought we already knew half the jutsus we went over today. At least I got a good sleep…_

Neji walked up the path leading to his front door. He lifted his foot to climb the front stair but hesitated. He saw three sets of shoes on the floor outside the front screen. And one of them wasn't his uncles, either.

_Whose shoes…?_

Neji pulled open the screen and stepped inside, then started to remove his shoes.

"Welcome home, Neji-kunnn~!" Hanabi's voice called to him.

"Hello, Hana-"

Neji stopped in mid-sentence after he looked up at his cousin. She was sitting on the couch, with her arms around Sasuke's neck in a loose hug. Sasuke was sitting to her left, and was drinking tea. Sasuke's eyes drifted and met with Neji's.

_Wha….what's he doing here?! And why is Hanabi's arms around him like that?!_

Hanabi, as if reading Neji's mind, said "Look! Sasuke-kuns here! He's staying with us for a couple days, says Father."

"Hn. I see."

Neji walked further into the room and sat on the floor. In attempts to distract his mind from his cousin and….Sasuke, Neji folded his arms, crossed his legs, and said "I heard about your little accident, Uchiha."

Sasuke lifted his drink with both hands to his lips, took a sip, and then lowered it back to his lap. He nodded. His eyes still hadn't left Neji.

"Sasuke can sleep in **my** room for the week!" Hanabi said, interrupting the silence and tightening the grip of her arms on Sasuke.

Neji stared at Hanabi. He couldn't take this anymore. There was something about the way Hanabi was sitting with Sasuke that pissed Neji off.

Neji got up, and left for his room.

He shut the screen door to his room behind him a little too hard, causing it to slam shut.

He sat on his bed and stared out the window.

_Why....why do I feel this way? Why am I so angry...? What's Hanabi trying to pull? She thinks her being close to Sasuke will bother me. Hah, ridiculous. That can't be the reason I'm angry. What a stupid plan of hers. So immature. She needs to grow up for once. Yet....there's still no explanation to why I feel this way....Maybe it's because of our stupid senseis teaching us previously learned things. Yeah, that's got to be it. Useless....._

Neji sighed and stood up. He walked over to the window sill and leaned on it with his elbows resting on the sill. He stared at the blue sky, and watched the puffy white clouds float freely.

_Now that Sasuke's going to be staying here for the week, I guess Uncle Hiashi will have to keep checking on him. Then again, I'm sure Hanabi will probably not leave his side._

Neji slid his arms forward and rested his chin on the sill.

_He better not do anything with my cousin or I'll kill them; both of them! Besides, Hanabi's way too young to even date. _

Neji had a sudden realization.

_Didn't Hanabi say she's dating someone!? That liar! She isn't dating anyone! Hiashi would flip if she dated at her age! Could that mean....maybe she's after Sasuke after all? _

"Neji-san, could you come here for a minute?"

_Uncle Hiashi...._

Neji left his room, and went to the living room, where his uncle, Sasuke, Hinata, and Hanabi (who, for some reason, had removed her arms from Sasuke, and was now sitting a couple more inches away from him since Neji was last in the room) were all waiting.

As soon as Neji walked in, all eyes were on him.

Hiashi cleared his throat, and said "Neji-san...As I was just telling Hinata, I have taken the responsibility of letting Sasuke Uchiha stay in our home for the week. But, something came up, and there is a meeting being held out of town, and all of the Main Branch family are expected to be there, Hinata, Hanabi, and myself included."

"Awh no!" Hanabi said with disappointment, realizing that she wouldn't be staying with Sasuke after all.

Neji felt a little bit of relief. He tugged on a strap dangling from his headband, waiting for his uncle to continue.

"Sasuke-san." Hiashi said, turning to face the raven-haired boy.

"Ah, yes sir?" Sasuke said, blinking and staring up at him.

"The Hyuuga family are very welcome to have you stay in our home. I'm sorry for our upcoming absence, but Neji will be staying here with you."

Sasuke replied with a "It's fine, sir."

Neji's eyes drifted from Hiashi, to Sasuke, and back to Hiashi.

_I'm staying alone....with him? He better not get on my nerves. I'm not going to bend backwards to serve him._

"Neji-san." Hiashi's voice broke through Neji's thoughts.

"Yes, Uncle?"

"Can you please show the boy where he'll be sleeping?"

"...No problem."

Neji watched as Sasuke pushed himself up off the couch. Then he turned and lead him down the hall, into to the room across from his own.

The room was big, the same size as Neji's, and inside it was a double bed, a kotatsu (heated table), a large window, a fairly big television, some drawers, and a closet. The walls were white with a light-brown grid-like pattern (traditional Japanese), and the floor was a light wood. Sasuke was surprised at how nice the room was, but, what did he expect from a Hyuuga?

"It's not much but..."

"It's fine." Sasuke said.


	10. Chapter 10

Sasuke stayed in his room as Neji left to see his uncle off.

"Neji, promise me you will keep your eye on Sasuke. I don't want anything to happen to him. He's very...fragile right now. Lady Tsunade thinks it may have something to do with what happened to him, you know..., his past. Can you promise me that?" Hiashi said, as he stood in front of the open front screen door, facing Neji.

"Yes uncle. I will make sure nothing happens."

Hiashi gave Neji a little smile, then walked through the door where Hinata and Hanabi waited for him. Neji closed the screen door.

_A week with Sasuke...hmph. No problem. _

Neji walked into the kitchen to see that Hiashi had already made dinner for Sasuke and him.

_Saves me the trouble for today._

"Sasuke...? Dinners'....ready." He called out to the other nin.

Neji heard the soft sound of footsteps in the hall, then the screen slide open and Sasuke walked in. Neji sat down at the table, and Sasuke sat across from him. They both picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

The silence between them annoyed Neji. It made things a little too awkward. Every few minutes, Neji's eyes drifted to Sasuke's face, hoping maybe, that Sasuke would realize he was there, and start talking.

_What's with this guy...Why is he so quiet?_

"You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine."

Sasuke's voice startled Neji. He looked up to see Sasuke smirking at him.

"I'm not worried about anything. I just don't want to see you faint and smash your face off the floor."

"Tch. I'll be fine. I probably blacked out because I didn't eat anything for a couple days."

"...You can easily starve to death, you know that? Why didn't you eat anything?"

"Didn't feel like it. No appetite. I felt kind of sick anyways."

Neji's eyes searched Sasuke's face. He looked paler then usual.

_Well...at least he's eating now..._

By the time Sasuke had finished eating, Neji had finished 10 minutes ago. Neji gathered all dishes, emptied them, and put them in the dishwasher.

Sasuke thanked Neji for the food, and helped Neji clean up.

"I have some movies...if you want to watch something..." Neji said when they finished.

Sasuke chose a horror movie. One with flesh-eating zombies, and a whole lot of blood.

The movie started, and as Sasuke sat on the far right cushion of the couch, Neji sat to the far left.

About 30 minutes into the movie, Neji glanced over at Sasuke. His heart skipped a beat. Sasuke had fallen asleep with his head on the arm of the couch.

_When he's sleeping....he's kind of....cu...._

Neji shook his head to get the thought out of his head, and focused back on the movie. The zombies didn't interest him at all, but Neji had to focus on something (other then the boy sleeping beside him).

"_Dean, behind you!_ "

The man on the TV spun around just as a zombie was about to bite him. He swung his gun, and smashed the zombie in the head. The zombie stumbled backwards, hit a wall, then regained its balance. 'Dean' raised his gun and shot a round of bullets from his machine gun into the zombie's corpse, causing it to crumple to the ground, and rendered it once again, lifeless.


	11. Chapter 11

The movie had ended hours ago, and Sasuke was still out. It was getting late and he showed no signs of waking up, so Neji retrieved the blanket from Sasuke's room and draped it over his body up to his shoulders.

He stared at the boy for a minute, then headed into his room to get ready to sleep. He removed his clothes, threw on some pants and a loose t-shirt, and crawled into his bed.

The morning came quickly. Both boys were up early. Neji couldn't wait to get to class. He couldn't stand being at home alone with the Uchiha. For some reason, as soon as he entered the front door, as soon as he laid eyes on him, his heart started racing, and didn't stop until Neji went to class the next morning.

The day was the same as yesterday. Neji slept through class, walked home (this time with Sasuke), they both ate, and Sasuke fell asleep early again.

The day after, Neji and Sasuke both had no classes, so they stayed home.

"Sasuke? I'm going to go out and buy some things for lunch. I'll be back within the hour."

Sasuke walked across the living room and sat on the couch. He nodded in reply to Neji, who left through the screen door.

_I can't believe it's only been three days and we've already eaten all the food in the house..._

Neji trudged his way down a village path. On his left was a bunch of food stands and shops.

_Ramen....miso...rice-balls....melon bread....curry....nikujaga._

"Hey! Neji-kun!"

Neji picked up his bag, and looked up to see Sakura running towards him, waving her arm at him.

"Ah, Sakura-chan."

Sakura stopped in front of Neji and smiled at him. Such a smile would usually make peoples heart melt, but it had no affect on Neji whatsoever. It's not that Sakura purposefully tried to melt hearts, she was just expressing her emotion freely.

Sakura loved to smile. She loved to laugh, talk, and have fun. And most of all, Sakura loved to love. Sakura cared about everything. She loved the animals. She loved the flowers. But the thing she loved the most, was a boy. Sakura had loved Sasuke Uchiha ever since she laid eyes on him. His soft raven-coloured hair and his dark eyes drew her in. If there was one thing she could do, it would be to wrap her arms around him and tell him how much she loved him, then kiss him. She would give anything to be loved in return by him. She had even sacrificed her long beautiful pink hair to save his life. Sakura had been growing out her hair ever since she was a little girl; ever since she heard what the other girls were saying.

"_Hey Sakura-chan! Guess what I heard!? Sasuke seems to like girls with long hair!_"  
"_I guess that means I'll grow mine out then!_"

"I heard Sasuke-kun is staying at your house this week!" Sakura said with a smile.

"Oh....yeah."

"Well...." Sakura said blushing and lowering her gaze. "I bought some flowers for him. Daffodils, actually. It's a pretty flower that shows its beautiful face, even in the dead of winter...patiently waiting for the spring; undying, like true love." Sakura sighed and her pretty turquoise eyes drifted to the blue sky.

_She really.....she really cares for him, doesn't she. If only....I cared about someone as much as she does..._

'I'll be sure to tell him they're from you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura handed him the flowers and gave him a closed-eyed smile.

"Arigato, Neji-kun."

Then she leaned in, kissed him on the cheek, and ran off in the direction she came from.

Neji stood there, dumbfounded and blushing.

_Did she just....?_

_Oh...right....I forgot....I need to pick up a new andon lamp..._

Neji finished buying everything he needed, and made his way back to his house. He walked up the front step, entered the house, placed the bags on the floor and removed his shoes.

"Sasuke, think you can help me put these things away...?"

Neji waited for an answer, and after a few minutes passed, there was still no answer.

"Sasuke....?"

Neji walked into the living room, looking for the boy.

"Sasuke, where ar-"

Sasuke was lying on the living room floor, unconscious.

"Oh shit! Sasuke!?"

Neji ran over and kneeled down beside him. He pulled him up into his arms and shook him.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!? Wake-up!"

The boys eyes cringed, and opened slowly to stare up at the Hyuuga.

"W...what's going on....? Why am I....."

"Sasuke...can you stand up?"

Sasuke tried to lift himself up, only to fall back into the Hyuuga's arms.

"I can't.....Too weak....My arms can-..."

Sasuke's eyes rolled back into his head and he blacked out again.

_W...what do I do? Do I take him to the hospital....? Maybe I should...._

Neji lifted the other ninja in his arms, and placed him lying down on the couch. He went into the kitchen and wet a cloth, then returned to the living room and placed it on Sasuke's head. He put away the items he bought and placed Sakura's flowers in a vase in Sasuke's room. Then he brought Sasuke a cold drink for when he woke up, and Neji waited. Waited for Sasuke to awake and call him a loser for worrying about him.


	12. Chapter 12

_Ugn....What's going on....? Who is that blurry face above me...?_

He closed his eyes and re-opened them.

Neji came into focus.

"It was getting late so I decided to bring you into your room...."

"That doesn't explain why you were just leaning over me, Hyuuga." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"I noticed you were waking up and I wanted to check to see if you were alright....You've been out for a long time...It's already 10 pm."

Sasuke sat up and leaned against the headboard. He didn't have to worry about putting his pajama clothes on, because as a result of staying home, he didn't take them off at all that day.

"Hn."

"Is that _all_ you have to say, Uchiha!? You could've died! For all I know, you could have a concussion!"

Neji's long hair was untied, and it draped over his dark pajama shirt as he leaned on his arms on the bed and stared at the Uchiha. Neji was on his knees on the bed, with his hands supporting his weight. He stared into the Uchiha's eyes.

"I talked to Lady Tsunade and she wants me to stay home from classes the rest of the week; and not to leave you alone."

Sasuke just stared right past the Hyuuga, at the floor.

"Is your head okay!? Are you feeling dizzy...? Maybe we need to take you to the hospital."

"..."

In anger, Neji leaned closer to Sasuke and glared into his eyes. "Why do you always act cool!? This is no time to play cool right now! You could be very sick! You could be dying! Maybe you even-"

"You talk too much."

Sasuke grabbed Neji by the collar. His lips pressed against Neji's, catching him off-guard.

Neji's eyes widened.

_Sakura's gunna kill him for this..._

Neji pulled away his face and stared at the floor. His face was a light pink color.

"...Sasuke....I...."

There was a knock on the front screen-door.

"That must be Lady Tsunade...." Neji said, looking at Sasuke.

"You better get it then."

Sasuke pulled the blankets up to his shoulders and laid down on his bed, with his arms behind his head.

Neji got up, and went to answer the door.


	13. Chapter 13

"Neji-san."

"H- hello, Lady Tsunade. Sasuke's... just up the hall...."

Lady Tsunade had come to check on Sasuke, after all, fainting two times in one week isn't exactly healthy.

Neji was still shocked from Sasuke's kiss.

_W.....why did he do that....Is he playing games with me....? My heart....its racing....I...._

Neji watched as Tsunade checked Sasuke's forehead for a fever, and looked at his pupils.

"It....it looks like he's suffering from some sort of....disease or sickness. Maybe lack of oxygen to the brain, I'm not exactly sure. I've never seen something like this before. He's got a raging fever of around 103, 104o . The only thing we can really do for him right now is to get him some medication to bring down the fever, and we can take things from there. Neji-san, I'll give you a list of antibiotics. I'd like you to go and pick them up. I'll stay here and watch Sasuke-san, okay?"

Tsunade gave Neji a stern look, and Neji was too afraid to refuse. He handed her a pad of paper and a pen, and watched her write down the items.

_I wonder if he'll be okay....Stupid Uchiha, getting himself sick. What if he dies....? What if.....something terrible happens? What if he gets worse? What if-_

"Neji. Here."

Tsunade ripped the paper off the pad and handed it to him. Then she turned to Sasuke. She ran the back of her fingers down his left cheek. "You poor boy...."

Neji didn't bother changing into his regular clothes. He shoved the paper in his pocket, and left his house.

The walk to the shops usually took about 5 minutes, but Neji was still walking and it had already been around 15. He had a lot more then usual on his mind, and it was distracting him from being any faster.

A couple minutes later, he reached the shops. As he walked, he stared at the night sky.

_It's so...beautiful._

The stars were shining, and the sky was a dark blue.

"N...Neji-kun!"

Neji stopped and looked down to see Tenten standing in front of him; blocking his way.

"Oh...Tenten....."

Tenten looked different somehow tonight; she looked....sadder.

"What are you doing out here so late, Tenten."

"I was just on my way home...from training."

_Training....? What's she training for? All her attacks are really just throwing weapons around...That doesn't exactly require a whole lot of training....Then again, she's weak as hell anyways._

Of course Neji thought this about his teammate, but he never spoke it out loud.

"I see."

Neji expected Tenten to move out of his way, but after a couple minutes of silence passed, no one had moved.

"I'm sorry Tenten, but I really-"

"Neji there's something I need to tell you."

Neji couldn't exactly afford delays at this time, but he could tell Tenten wouldn't move unless he listened.

"Neji....I....."

Tenten closed her eyes, and tears rolled down her face.

"Neji, I love you. You mean so much to me, and I can't stand it anymore! You never even acknowledge me for who I am!"

Tenten shook in tears. She opened her eyes, and Neji just stared back at her.

"...W....I must be **stupid** for loving you! You don't even care! You don't even show emotions! You're just so cold-hearted towards me! Am I just an idiot!?"

"Tenten, you're not an idiot. Now please, you have to move. I have something important I have to d-"

"Tenten, I have to do this! Tenten, I have to do that! You never give me any of your time! I guess I'm just not important, am I."

She stared at Neji, hoping for a response, a sign, that maybe he did care, maybe that….he would show emotion; but his blank eyes showed nothing.

"Baka…."

Her last word was quiet, but she moved aside. Neji passed her, and stopped.

"I have emotions. And I do care……but I love someone else. Nothing will change the way I feel. You're not stupid, Tenten. You're just….not mine."

She started sobbing, and broke down in tears.

_I'm sorry Tenten._

Neji walked away.


	14. Chapter 14

Tsunade took the ingredients Neji brought back for her, and combined them. Then she put them in a syringe.

"You're not sticking that into my arm. There is no way-"

Sasuke stopped mid-sentence, because at that moment, Neji had grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled his arm up.

"Thank-you, Neji-san."

Tsunade pushed up Sasuke's short sleeve, and inserted the needle into his arm.

Sasuke's fingers tightened around Neji's.

_Is he afraid of needles...?_

Neji smiled to himself at the thought of such a tough guy being scared of something so simple as a needle.

Tsunade removed the needle from Sasuke's arm, and stood up.

"I've done all I can do for now. Just keep an eye on him, and maybe sleep in the same room. If anything happens, don't hesitate to come and get me."

"Thank-you, Lady Tsunade-sama."

Neji saw her to the door, and then returned to Sasuke's room with his own blanket and pillow, which he placed on the floor.

Neji crouched down to move the blankets so he could get underneath them.

"Hyuuga. What are you doing. Idiot, you aren't sleeping on the floor. You can sleep on the bed; I'll move over."

_Sleep…in the same bed as him…?_

Neji's eyes slowly drifted to the Uchiha, who was staring right back at him. Neji analyzed the bed.

_Well….the bed is pretty big…..so we wont be touching; nothing to worry about. I'll just pretend he's not there. That can't be too hard._

Neji placed his pillow to Sasuke's left. He avoided making any eye contact, and uneasily pulled back the blanket and got in the bed, then pulled it back up to his shoulders. He rolled onto his left side, and Sasuke laid on his back.

_Nothing to worry about._


	15. Chapter 15

Neji had been asleep for roughly two hours, but was awoken by a groan. He cringed his eyes and opened them.

"Ugnnnn."

_Is Sasuke having some sort of….erotic dream or something? That's disgusting._

"Ugnnn….Nii….Nii-san….why Nii-san? I.....ugnnn...."

_Nii-san!? He's dreaming about having sex with his BROTHER?!_

Neji rolled over and sat up.

Sasuke was in some sort of nightmare. He was paler then usual, and was dripping in cold sweat. Sasuke was shaking, and yet he was fully unaware; lost in his nightmare.

Is he okay..? Is he having some sort of reaction!?

Neji didn't know what to do, so he did the first thing that came to his mind.

He held Sasuke in his arms, and tried to comfort him.

"Sasuke…Sasuke wake up. It's okay. You're going to be okay….."

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.

N..No…..it's not okay. I….."

Sasuke stared up at him with wide eyes. Neji could tell Sasuke was frightened.

He held the boy tighter.

Sasuke cringed his eyes shut, and a couple tears ran down his face.

_Tears….? Could it be…Sasuke is finally…showing emotion?_

Sasuke cuddled up to the boy. He found comfort in Neji.

They laid there like that for 10 minutes. Gradually over those 10 minutes, Sasuke's body slowly stopped shaking, and the cold sweats were gone. He had fallen asleep in Neji's arm; but wasn't suffering from any more nightmares. No more demons to haunt him that night. No more killing, no more Itachi.

Neji stared down at Sasuke.

_He....looked like a frightened child. The fear from the child in my dream was shown through his eyes. I guess that must've been pretty traumatic for him, losing everyone and all. I only lost my father...and I never knew my mother. At least I have Hiashi, and Hinata-chan.....and Hanabi-chan. Sasuke has no-one. I feel....bad for him. But if he's so lonely.....why didn't he ever just go and date one of his many (many) fangirls...?_

Neji couldn't understand the boy, and he probably never would. The only thing he managed to understand were some of Sasuke's body language.

If he narrowed his eyes. _You're pissing me off right now._

A tiny frown. _This is so frustrating. You're wasting my time._

A sharp glance. _I'm going to murder you in 5 seconds if you don't shut up. _

A pinch of the bridge of his nose. _This is so annoying._

Oh yes, Neji could read Sasuke's body language; it was his words that threw him off. The only other thing that left Neji clueless was that kiss.

_I don't understand. Is he playing games with my mind, trying to trick me into a false sense of security only to kick me in the teeth and laugh at me? I can understand that he's scared right now, but he was under no pressure whatsoever to....kiss me...._

Sasuke groaned in his sleep, and moved closer to Neji, pressing his own body against, and putting his arm over the chest of, the Hyuuga. Neji could feel Sasuke's body heat radiating off of him.

_I've....I've never been this close to someone before....It's kind of....nice._

Neji yawned and placed his right cheek against Sasuke's head, as if to lean on him. In a matter of minutes, both boys were now fast asleep.


End file.
